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forty-eight

Dove

F ury continues. “Bring me a blooded heir of each God’s people to this island, and teach them Oona’s song.”

“You want me to release you from this prison?” I counter, stepping closer to him.

“I want us to work together. Help each other. I’ve spent the last twenty rotations watching over you. I am on your side here, Dove.”

“You have a funny way of showing it, Fury.” Clenching my fists by my sides, knuckles surely turn white as I give him my best glower.

Fury’s lips twitch up, and he starts to move forward, getting close enough without touching. My blood boils. “I see your rage. You seek justice, and I can give that to you. I want to give that to you. But first, you need to help me off this island.”

It frustrates me to no end that this daemon knows what is inside of me. He has touched my darkness and keeps pushing forward. If he had not weaselled his way into my mind the many times that he has, there’s a strong possibility I wouldn’t be here right now. He can do things I cannot. I owe him, in a way, for keeping me sane—somewhat. But I was not born in the last shower. More will be coming.

“What else is there?” I place my hands on my hips, looking up at the imposing, starry-eyed male in front of me.

I notice the air visibly expel from his blackened lips as he says, “I will require you to bond to me.”

There it is. The bomb.

My heart sinks.

The blood drains from my limbs.

I have one bond too many already, and now, Fury wants to share a bond tie with me. Without further assumptions but the intoxicating claim of otherworldly tendrils slithering through my veins, I exclaim, “Why, how?”

“I am an original God of this world. I hold power you can only dream of. Creating a bond is as easy as breathing for me,” Fury responds. The lines on his cheeks move up as he shows off his incisors. “The connection we currently hold only surfaces when you are experiencing times of great despair. I do not wish to look on as you are brought to the breaking point any longer. If we are bonded, you will be able to communicate with me, no matter the distance, and benefit from some of my powers. I’m unsure of the full extent, as this existence does not have the capacity to hold the same power my other form takes. Plus, the island is designed to drain my powers. I can only do so much.” He grasps my hips, and the thin fabric of my dress does nothing to separate us. “I have charged Gideon with your safety, and I know you are safe with him, but this is just extra protection.”

The last of my sanity hangs in the balance as I start to connect the dots. Is he saying he’s a God? This dark daemon before me is part of the light that exists beyond the veil.

“And if I don’t want the bond?” My hands stay firm by my sides, even though my light-headedness tempts me to reach out and grasp Fury’s smooth forearms.

His gaze showcases a savagery I have not yet seen. “The choice is yours, Dove, but once the bond is in place, it will not be undone,” he answers.

“But how can I be bonded to two people?” My voice is a mumble, but he hears it. The whirlwind circling in my mind is a cacophony of jumbled thoughts.

“Love is infinite. Bonds are similar. They just require more intention and a little helping hand from the Gods,” he explains, having an answer for everything. Well, I guess he would, considering he is a God. Argus bucks in my chest at this new development.

This is the last thing I expected this morning, but I decide to take this new knowledge in stride, telling Argus to calm his temper. What’s another mythical creature to add to my growing collection? Nodding my head, my body simmers down, the heat slowly decreasing notch by notch. “And what do I get in return? I guess the bond will be mutually beneficial, though you said you would help me. ”

Feeling a coldness run through my fingers, I look down, realising my hands are no longer at my sides but firmly implanted on the bare chest in front of me.

“I will help you take down the human king and his son, and Saff’s egg is hers to do with as she pleases,” Fury replies nonchalantly.

Everything I have come to this Goddess-forsaken place for is within my reach, but he is jesting if he thinks I have forgotten his earlier words about my sister. “What of my sister?”

Leaning down so our faces are close enough to touch, Fury responds, “I can bring her soul back, if you wish. Once I am off this island, of course.”

Without hesitation, I say, “Yes, I want her back. Of course I want her back.” His earlier words rankle me, and my blood thrums. “Give me your word?”

A sneer spreads across Fury’s face, and his lips almost touch mine as he says, “I give you my heart and my word, my sweet Dove.”

And without a stroke of hesitation, Fury’s lips descend on mine, devouring me whole. My monster in the dark. Time seems to stand still as my body and mind try to uncover the logic of what is going on. I wilt against his chest, Fury’s hands fully supporting my head and lower back with his all-embracing hold.

Pulling back from our kiss, he nuzzles and scrapes his fangs along the woven patch of skin under my ear and whispers, “Sing for me, pet.” He caresses his lips along my chin and ear lobe, tickling all the right places, making me moan.

Once again, he dives back for my lips, and the thought of stopping him is a long-forgotten memory. I bleed for Fury, my scent freely gliding down my legs for him, making him groan languidly into my mouth.

My head spins as the undeniable need to bury myself in this newfound passion infuses my broken heart.

And I feel it birthing a connection, a deep yearning twined in eternity. He is doing it. And, moment by heart-aching moment, I feel a shift in my chest, making room for a new God bond.

A not-so-unwelcome God bond, it seems, as my body fully opens to the God in front of me. My arms snake around his neck, tugging him further into my mouth, not wanting this feeling of adrenaline and ecstasy to end. Both bonds hum inside my chest, not battling but dancing in harmony with one another like all along, they were waiting, searching for each other. It feels like bliss, yet something is still missing with Rivern’s bond so far away, trying and failing to call him closer to us.

I didn’t want one bond, and here I am, with two, revelling in the arms of my second bonded. Hypocrite. That’s what I am. Right now, with Fury’s energy working its way through my body, I do not care what my brain has to say. The only other time I have felt like this is within Rivern’s arms. My thoughts are nothing but mush on the floor of my mind, and surely, a puddle on the floor beneath our feet.

Exhaling aloud, I realise Fury is no longer kissing me but holding my cheeks and not kissing me. I sulk out a breath as he chuckles, “It is done.”

My eyes ping open. Surely, it is not that easy. All we did was kiss.

“Don’t we need to—” I take my hands from around his head, and they flail around.

“No, we don’t need to fuck to seal the bond.”

My whole body jerks back at his voice in my head. Now, of all the people I’ve ever known, I’m aware I have more voices than normal running around in my head, but hearing the velvety, alluring purr of Fury in my head is unexpected.

“How?” Fury rubs at my temples in a soothing motion, and my body loosens up a bit.

“If you wish to communicate with me, all you have to do is intend for me to hear it and vice versa. Wherever you are, distance does not hinder our connection as we are fully bonded now.” His eyes gleam as he continues his ministrations of my heart and head. “ As for the fucking, we will get to that in time, and I am a God, my pet.”

As if the statement “ I am a God” magically resolves all the questions in my head.

“It should.” The smooth voice once again makes an appearance.

Unleashing my hold from around his neck, I shove at his chest. “Get out of my head, Fury!”

“Mmm, pet, say it again.” I stop my trek backwards and grimace. The string now binding us together pulls at my chest, bringing me towards him. Fury matches my steps back together, looking very pleased with himself. “My name, pet. Say my name again,” his voice tickles my neck as he bends down to brush his fangs along my erratic pulse point.

In fact, my whole body has a mind of its own as it sags against his chest, giving all of myself to him. Tingles zip up my fingertips that have lodged themselves unceremoniously into the bare, naked chest in front of me.

“I know you feel it, too.” That enchanting voice makes a reappearance, and I shudder—full-body quakes as his fangs and lips move back and forth on my pulse .

Back and forth.

Back and forth …

Again and again and again. A symphony of lips, tongue and scraping teeth, my mind pure drivel to his musings over my body.

“Fury?” a voice growls off from the side of us.

My brain is suddenly firing on all cylinders again. I push against the hard chest in front of me. “ Fury, stop. ” I force the words from my head towards him through our bond.

“It seems the wolf is getting impatient with us, pet.” Shoving at a God is not easy, but Fury relents and takes a step back, letting my hands sag at my sides. Looking up, his face still holds that same smirk he seems to always carry around—when he’s not angry, of course.

“Fury.” My breath is uneven as my air quickly flows in and out. “Damn it!” Frustration laces my body as energy pulses through my veins, an unfamiliar feeling of zinging and zapping within my internal makeup. Holding my hands in front of me, I turn them, seeing a slight silvery glow form around my skin.

My eyes do a quick external check of my body, and I find the light skirts around my whole being, including entwining with two chords floating out of my chest, one black-silver, leading to the daemon in front of me, and one gold and silver, trailing away from my body and out the open door.

“I—” What is there to say? I did not expect this. This feeling—no, this sensation—is utterly unfamiliar to me . I feel like I can take on the world. Like I could survive off the light from the suns and moon alone. When Fury told me his plan, I thought the task would be impossible for me, but this… This new feeling of hope and strength within me is the raging spark I need to undertake this insurmountable quest.

Feeling a fluttering low in my belly, two grey hands twine with mine. “It won’t always feel like this. Your body is getting used to the bit of power I’ve shared with you.”

“I feel…” I shake my head. “I don’t know how to describe it.”

Bringing my hands up to his lips, Fury whispers through my mind. “ This is you, pet. My energy, my power, will only enhance the innate force within you.”

“This is me?”

“This is your strength, your resilience, your capacity for hope and love.” His lips linger on my knuckles, and his eyes stay fixed on mine.“ There is much more beyond this mortal vessel you inhabit.”

Very aware I’m getting sucked into the bonded lust illusion, I call on the agitated, waiting wolf pacing the room. “Gideon, I’m ready to go.”

Turning on my heel, I move away from Fury to find Gideon—every stoically dashing inch of him in his black-on-black attire—waiting for me next to the hole-in-the-floor stairway.

“Wait,” Fury charges from behind me, grabbing my upper arms and stopping me in my tracks. “I have something for you.”

Letting out a trapped breath, I relent to him. This bond is going to be hard to resist. Even before this bond, I found parts of myself softening to him, and now it’s like my body instantly gives way to him, bypassing all of the barriers I’ve protected myself with over the decades. Even Argus purrs inside at Fury’s luring tones. I created those barriers for a reason, and with one kiss, this daemon has obliterated them all.

It is different from the bond I have with Rivern, too. With Rivern, it feels like falling in love for the first time. Pure and raw. With Fury, it is like securing the missing part of myself. The long-awaited piece that I knew was out there but couldn’t quite reach until now. He is more than just the angel of my dreams. He is the keeper of my soul, and all the dark and light it encompasses.

Confusion worries through my tumbling mind. How can I care so deeply for two people at the same time? There is every possibility that Rivern doesn’t even want me. He wasn’t there when I woke up, and the pain I felt… I know it has to do with him. But I also feel deep down that is not true. He wants me. I want him.

Shifting behind my back, I can feel Fury dropping something heavy but soft over my shoulders. “I do not wish you to catch a chill.” As my eyes drift down, I find his pointed, shadowed fingers clasping a bronzed dragon head to each side of a deep red velvet cape.

“Thank you,” I reply as I clench my hands down by my sides, trying to ignore the itch to lean back into his body.

My eyes meet the dyre wolf shifter in front of us, and though his expression reads indifference, I can feel his body vibrating with more. His amber eyes become darker and darker until they are the same shade as Fury’s, and I can’t look away from the savagery I see within.

“No, thank you, pet.” The daemon God surprises me, and we drift apart, leaving me to wander towards the towering wolf of steel. Gideon leads the way down the stairs, and I cannot resist the urge to take one more glance at Fury. My second God-bonded. The God himself, at that. A God imprisoned in a world of his own making.

This life barely feels real anymore.

He stands, intimidating with his arms crossed, his pale grey skin almost glowing in the sunlight trickling through the window. Startling me, he gives a soft smile and purrs into my mind,“ I’ll see you in my dreams, Dove .”

His soul-stirring voice is almost enough to keep me there. My heart is aching to be close to its newest acquisition, but with force, I turn and follow quickly behind Gideon.